How To Join Artificial Grass Together (For Strong And Invisible Seams)

One of the perks of having your own house is a beautiful lawn. However, maintaining a perfect lawn can be difficult.

Whether it’s bare soil, damaged grass, or ugly patches of dirt, lawns require a lot of maintenance and upkeep. And if you’re like most people, you may not have time in your schedule to take care of this every day.

Fortunately, homeowners have a great alternative – Artificial grass!

With modern day technology, it is practically identical to real grass in terms of looks, feel and function. What’s more, you will save tons of maintenance time and money over the years!

Here’s the thing: An artificial lawn does require careful installation.

As artificial grass experts, our team has installed hundreds of lawns around the world.

Today, we want to help you do the same.

The most common mistake in the installation process is badly joined artificial grass, resulting in visible and unpleasant seam lines between the pieces.

Not only do bad seams result in an uneven and unrealistic look on your lawn, they can also cause stability issues in the long run.

So when you connect two pieces of turf, you need to do it the right way and avoid these visible lines, and ensure your lawn is strong and stable for years to come.

Today, we’re going to show you exactly how to do this!

Below is a complete guide on how to join artificial grass together. You can completely hide the seams in artificial grass, and create strong joins by following these steps:

Step 1: Unroll and Rest The Grass Panels

One of the most important steps in installing artificial grass actually happens before you lay it down on your lawn.

Once you’ve measured out your yard and planned how to fit the pieces over your lawn, you can start unrolling the grass panels.

When you do so, you may notice that the grass fibers look a bit flat, and the backing is creased.

This is completely normal for artificial grass fresh out of the packaging. But you will have to give it some time to return to its normal shape before proceeding with the installation.

To do this, spread them out across a flat surface outside your home. Let them settle outdoors for at least 24 hours.

The heat from the sun will help the grass acclimatize, getting rid of the ripples and creases, and allowing the grass blades to stand up again.

It’s important to take your time to do this before joining the panels, to ensure your end result is a flat and uniform lawn.

Step 2: Trim and Prepare The Joins

When seaming artificial grass, it’s important to take your time and be careful – A good joint largely depends on properly cut seams.

First off, make all your measurements and double check them. We recommend leaving excess material on the edges of your lawn, and trimming them only after making all your joins.

Take a look at your artificial grass panels from the underside – You will notice that the tufts of grass are arranged in rows, spaced out evenly.

It’s important to make your cuts as close to the rows as possible. This will ensure a clean and strong join.

Start by cutting off the factory edge from the backside, as well as a minimum of three rows of tufts.

These outermost tufts are slanted outwards towards the edge. When you put the two pieces together, these tufts will press against each other, forming a visible line of dense fibers.

This is known as the “mohawk effect”, and cutting off three rows of grass from the edge will prevent it completely.

Most people will opt to make their cuts using a utility blade. This is perfectly fine, but we recommend changing blades regularly to ensure you get a sharp and crisp cut.

You should also take care not to cut too deep into the backing. Avoid having the protruding blade cut any grass fibers on the other side. This is critical for an invisible join.

Step 3: Line The Pieces Together And Double Check Everything

Once you’ve made your cuts, it’s time to properly line the pieces together.

A common mistake people make is pushing the panels completely together. This will also create the “mohawk effect”, leaving ugly join lines across your lawn.

Instead, start by measuring the spacing between your tuft rows. This is known as your “tuft gauge”, and you will need to leave a gap of the same size between the two panels.

The most common tuft gauge sizes are 3/8 inch, 3/4 inch and 5/8 inch. Obviously, the smaller the gauge, the more dense the grass fibers will be, and the more care you will have to take when trimming the pieces.

Make sure the gap in between the pieces to be joined are exactly the same distance apart. Look through the grass blades along the join to ensure the spacing is uniform across the entire edge.

If the gap is too narrow or too wide, you get a poor looking seam that is uneven. Also, ensure none of the grass fibers are trapped underneath the join.

Finally, take a step back and observe the seam. If you’ve done everything correctly up to this point, the grass fibers from both panels should blend together.

Don’t start using any glue until you are certain the spacing is correct. Once the glue is down, there’s no turning back!

Ideally, there should be no visible lines at all across the two piles of grass. Only proceed to the next step once you’re completely satisfied with the look.

Step 4: Lay Down Joining Tape and Apply Glue

It is time to fix the artificial grass pieces down. At this stage, some people opt to use nails to secure the panels, but in our experience this is insufficient for a strong and invisible join.

Instead, we always recommend using joining tape and adhesive. This ensures your join will hold up for years to come, while being completely invisible to the human eye.

Start by folding back and parting the grass on both sides, making sure not to move the pieces on the ground.

You can consider installing a few nails to stop your panels from shifting and ruining the positioning.

In the gap you’ve just created, roll out a strip of artificial grass joining tape across the entire length of the join. The centerline should be exactly where the join will be.

Make sure to have the shiny side of the tape facing down towards the ground. The blot side should be facing upwards. This is where you will apply the glue.

Before you move on, it’s wise to tack the tape down to keep it from moving. We recommend using a small nail on either end of the tape. After this, fold the grass back down and check the join for one last time

Finally, you’re ready to apply the glue. Fold the grass panels over to reveal the tape. Squeeze the glue across the length of the tape in a zig-zag fashion, before spreading it with a trowel.

Aim for a thin and even coat across the surface of the tape – Too much glue, and it might sqeeze out and ooze up into your grass fibers. Too little, however, and you will end up with a weak join.

Step 5: Join The Pieces And Allow Time For Drying

Finally, you’re ready to complete the joining process. Fold back each of the grass sections, so they meet with one another.

As you fold the panels onto the tape, do so slowly and from one end to another like a zipper. Make sure you don’t trap any grass fibers under the backing. Take your time to do this along the seam.

As you work down the join, lay down weights to hold the grass down. After you complete the join, go back and firmly press down along the join.

It takes up to 24 hours for the glue to dry. Once it dries, you can start lightly brushing across the grass. The glue will reach its maximum strength in 96 hours.

At this point, you have the option of strengthening the join with nails. This step is not necessary, but might help prevent the join from loosening over time.

For this, use 5-inch nails on both sides of the seam, spread 3 to 6 inches apart along the entire join.

After you complete the whole installation process (including securing the lawn at the edges), go back across your lawn and lay down some infill.

The purpose of this is to weigh down on the turf, smoothing out any inconsistencies. It will also help the grass fibers stand up, hiding your join further.

Once you successfully join the pieces together and the glue dries, the job is finished! You can enjoy your artificial grass with strong invisible seams that will last for many years to come.